Dive in the stunning waters of the South Pacific and play a vital role in shark conservation efforts

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Volunteer with sharks in Fiji and learn to dive in the clear, cobalt waters of the Pacific. You’ll help scientists protect one of the most endangered animals on the planet. You’ll work mainly as a research assistant, giving you the opportunity to get up close with these beautiful creatures. You’ll get plenty of practical experience, which could help you pursue a career in conservation.

In Fiji, you’ll assist leading shark researchers from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Project AWARE. You’ll learn how to safely feed, identify, and tag sharks in their natural marine habitat. The data you collect will help keep them off the list of critically endangered species.

We’ll also teach you to dive, and you’ll receive your PADI diver certification in an idyllic, tropical setting. Experienced divers will also have the chance to gain specialised conservation and DiveMaster qualifications.

The project is based in Pacific Harbour, considered the adventure capital of Fiji. You’ll live in shared accommodation with other volunteers.

Personalised MyProjectsAbroad website, with all the information you need about your project, accommodation and destination

A free cultural awareness course

Membership to our volunteer social media groups, to share information and to get in touch

PADI diving course

Diving equipment rental

A supervisor/mentor at your work placement

Support to help you complete registration or internship documents, if applicable

What's not included?

Flights

Visa costs (where applicable)

Is Shark Conservation volunteering in Fiji right for me?

This project is perfect for adventurers and thrill-seekers with a passion for nature, marine life, and the outdoors.

If you’re interested in a career in conservation, this project is a great fit for you. You’ll be working with and learn from some of the top minds in marine biology. You’ll gain practical, hands-on experience in marine conservation, which will add valuable work experience to your CV. The programme will also give you unique points to talk about in applications and interviews.

No experience? Don’t worry! You’ll receive full training in your first two weeks to gain your PADI Open Water certificate. This Projects Abroad experience is thrilling but entirely safe. You’ll always be supervised by expert diving instructors from our highly respected dive partners, Beqa Adventure Divers. Their safety record on shark dives is 100%.

Are you an experienced diver? You’ll have the chance to gain specialised diving qualifications. These include PADI AWARE Shark Conservation Diver and our exclusive PADI Projects Abroad Survey Diver certificate, which includes training in underwater survey and research techniques. Those staying for eight weeks or more can also train as a Dive Master on this project.

We have a number of volunteer opportunities with sharks in Fiji running all year round, so you can join whenever it suits your schedule. You can volunteer for a minimum of two weeks, but we recommend staying longer to have an even greater impact.

What will I do as a volunteer working with sharks in Fiji?

There’s a huge amount of work to be done to help protect sharks and the environment in Fiji. Here are the kind of things you can get up to:

Gain a PADI diving certification (the course is included in the project fee)

Collect vital data from shark survey dives

Replant mangroves along the picturesque coast

Help with important awareness and education work in local communities

Your work will focus on the following areas:

Get your PADI diving certification

We offer PADI certifications as part of this project because diving is central to the work you’ll do. If you’re a beginner, you’ll complete the PADI Open Water Dive Course during your first two weeks. If you already have diving experience you’ll complete the PADI Advanced Course or PADI Rescue Diver Course.

During the project, you’ll help staff collect data from survey dives, Baited Remote Underwater Videos (BRUVs), and shark tagging. This research is central to the project. We share it with global monitoring platforms such as eShark and SharkBase. In 2016, our research was one of the top five most important contributions to these databases.

You’ll collect data by:

Diving with bull sharks and collecting information on the behaviour of individual sharks

Going on survey dives and recording details about different species

Assisting with deploying BRUVs, which we use to study sharks without human presence and interference

Observing as local staff tag juvenile sharks to learn more about their lifespan, nursery habitats, and reproduction

Mangrove reforestation

As well as your core work with sharks, you’ll help care for mangrove seedlings in our mangrove nursery and replant mangroves along the coast.

Mangroves are one of the most important ecosystems in this region. They act as nurseries for many different fish species and help reduce carbon emissions. We’re working in partnership with local businesses to work out their carbon emission levels and plant enough mangroves to neutralise them.

Awareness and sustainability initiatives

Help reduce the 73 million sharks killed by humans each year through the campaigns you run. With workshops and outreaches, you’ll raise awareness of the importance of sharks and sustainability. You’ll help make sure that local people are involved in shark conservation work. You’ll also help ensure that that younger generations continue to protect sharks in the future.

These are some of the activities our volunteers are involved in:

Conducting workshops to teach local people about the importance of marine conservation and living sustainably

Holding classes with school children on recycling, climate change, and sea creatures

Collecting plastic bottles from partner restaurants and resorts and repurposing them as pots for the mangrove nursery

Our partners in Fiji

Projects Abroad works to make the biggest possible difference to shark conservation efforts. Also, to provide the best experience for our volunteers, we make sure you have unparalleled support when you’re working on our projects. In Fiji, we work with many great partner organisations to achieve this.

An important aspect of protecting marine life is diving to collect data. To make sure every volunteer can fully participate in this valuable work, we’ve partnered with PADI and Beqa Adventure Divers.

We’ve also partnered with major conservation organisations like WWF, Project AWARE, SharkBase, and Friends for Sharks. We share our data with them and, with their support, the work you do can have an even greater impact on shark protection policies.

Where in Fiji will I be working?

Pacific Harbour

On this project, you’ll be based in Pacific Harbour, known as the ‘adventure capital of Fiji’. This popular tourist area is on the south coast of Viti Levu.

You’ll spend most of your time contributing to research during scuba dives off the coast of Pacific Harbour, in the renowned Beqa Lagoon and the Shark Reef Marine Reserve. You’ll also be helping with conservation and awareness efforts in coastal communities.

In your free time, there’s plenty to do. Seeking more adrenaline? There’s kayaking, ziplining, and white water rafting. The island also has great hiking among breathtaking waterfalls and lush rainforests. If relaxing is more your thing, Pacific Harbour has some of the finest, white-sand beaches on the island.

AIRPORT PICKUP, FLIGHTS AND VISAS

When you arrive at your respective airport, a member of Projects Abroad staff will be there to meet you. You can find more detailed information on arrival airports, orientation, and visas on our Fiji Arrival Procedures page.

A typical day on the Shark Conservation Project

A typical work day will run from 7am to 4pm, Sunday to Thursday. All your activities will be supervised by trained local professionals, including qualified marine biologists.

After breakfast with the other volunteers, you’ll begin your project work. You’ll head out on a boat with our local staff and deploy two Baited Remote Underwater Videos (BRUVs). This is followed by a 90-minute scuba dive, monitoring and collecting data on the marine life you see. Our partner dive organisation, Beqa Adventure Divers, is at the forefront of shark protection in Fiji. Their safety record on shark dives is 100%.

Then you’ll watch BRUV footage and record the species you see. You could also spend your afternoon teaching people in a nearby village about the importance of sharks. This includes things like running an awareness workshop, teaching a class on recycling with schoolchildren, or attending a lecture on shark identification.

You’ll also participate in workshops to learn more about Fijian life. You’ll learn how to cook local food, make ‘bilo’ - traditional coconut cups, or weave palm fronds.

Over dinner, you can discuss the day’s adventures with the volunteers sharing this memorable experience with you. Your evenings will usually be free, giving you the opportunity to explore Fiji. Go trekking through the highland interior or attend a traditional festival. Alternatively, relax by the swimming pool, drinking kava and watching the sun setting over the sea on this island paradise.

What are the aims and impact of this Shark Conservation Project?

The aim of this project is to protect the shark population in the ocean around Fiji. We started our Shark Conservation Project in Fiji in January 2014 in response to the declining shark population in this area. The Fijian government has identified shark protection as a top conservation priority. Although marine protected areas have been set up to address the decline in shark numbers, the population continues to decrease.

As one of the top predators in the marine food chain, sharks play a vital role in this ecosystem. The extinction of sharks would have devastating consequences for both marine life and humans. Without sharks, a destructive chain of events would lead to an increase in algae, which would choke coral reefs and eventually kill them.

If coral reefs die, thousands of species will lose their habitat. This would take away a major income source for local fishermen and a primary food source for Fijian locals.

To ensure we’re working towards long-term goals to tackle these issues, we’ve created a Conservation Management Plan for Fiji. Some of our objectives in this plan include:

Collecting data on marine life to inform conservation policies

Planting mangroves to create the first carbon-neutral resort in Fiji

Raising awareness about conservation and the importance of sharks

Promoting sustainable living in local communities

Join a Shark Conservation Project in Fiji and help us work towards achieving these goals.

Management Plans

We set out the aims and objectives of our projects in documents called Management Plans. We use them to properly plan the work you’ll do. They also help us measure and evaluate our achievements and impact each year.

Ultimately, our Management Plans help us make our projects better. This in turn means you get to be part of something that makes a real impact where it’s needed. Read more about our Management Plans.

Measuring Our Impact

Our projects work towards clear long-term goals, with specific annual objectives. Every volunteer and intern we send to these projects helps us work towards these goals, no matter how long they spend on our projects.

Every year we take a step back and look at how much progress we've made towards these goals. We put together a Global Impact Report, which documents our achievements. Find out more about the impact our global community of volunteers, interns and staff make, and read the latest report.

I decided to join the Shark Conservation Project in Fiji because of my love for sharks and marine conservation. I find sharks a truly fascinating group of animals, and I have always been keen to study them.

As a scientist-in-training I was most impressed with all of the science underlying the project and how willing the staff was to share their knowledge. I was able to see science in action as well as conservation efforts making their way up the chain to actually change environmental policy.

Volunteer review

From the minute I arrived at the lodge, surrounded on three sides by dense jungle, and on the fourth, a huge piranha-packed
river, I knew that my stay here would be unforgettable.

From the minute I arrived at the lodge, surrounded on three sides by dense jungle, and on the fourth, a huge piranha-packed
river, I knew that my stay here would be unforgettable.

From the minute I arrived at the lodge, surrounded on three sides by dense jungle, and on the fourth, a huge piranha-packed
river, I knew that my stay here would be unforgettable.

FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION

You'll share accommodation with other Projects Abroad volunteers and interns during your stay in Pacific Harbour. This is a great way to get to know your fellow volunteers and interns, share experiences, and explore your surroundings in your free time together.

The accommodation is safe, clean, and comfortable. Your programme fees include three meals a day.

LEISURE ACTIVITIES AND FREE TIME

Experience the beauty of the South Pacific while volunteering with us in Fiji. This tropical island country has plenty of activities and must-see sights for you to enjoy in your free time.

We can’t talk about Fiji without mentioning the beaches. With their soft, white sand and clear, blue seas, they are the ideal place to relax and wind down after a day of volunteer work. With the beaches come a bunch of other exciting activities, like water sports and snorkelling.

For a culture-rich experience, you can explore the bright, rainbow-coloured Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple. You can also spend time wandering through art galleries or browsing through stunning handmade pottery in Nadi.

The Kula Eco Park gives you the opportunity to see local plants and animals. For thrill seekers, they also have a zipline going through the park!

You can explore all these different sights on your own or with a group. With so many volunteers joining us in Fiji each year, you’re bound to make some new friends to travel with.

SAFETY AND STAFF SUPPORT

Your safety and security is our prime concern. We have many procedures and systems to ensure you have the support you need to enjoy your trip with peace of mind. Our Projects Abroad staff are available 24 hours a day to help, and will be on-hand to make sure you settle in well at your accommodation and placement. If you encounter any problems, they will be available to help at any time.

Meet the team in Fiji

Karishma Nandan

Country Director

Karishma was born and raised in Nadi and went on to complete her degree in marine studies from the University of South Pacific in Suva. After her studies, Karishma volunteered for two years with various NGOs in Suva before joining Projects Abroad in 2011. Since then, she has also completed a master’s degree in business administration. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and spending time with her family.

Meet the team in Fiji

Ravneet Kumar

Project Coordinator

Ravneet was born and raised in Ba and later moved to Suva to complete his university studies. He graduated with Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and Public Admin & Management at the University of the South Pacific. His goal at Projects Abroad Fiji is to make sure our project partners benefit from having volunteers and that volunteers enjoy the experience. He enjoys reading, singing, socialising, and travelling.

Meet the team in Fiji

Irene Lily

Project Coordinator

Lily worked for Projects Abroad in Fiji during the summer of 2011 before taking up the role full time in August 2012. She looks after the Animal Care Projects in Nadi, designs the 2 Week Special programme and customises projects for special groups. She is also responsible for making sure volunteer de-briefing forms are completed and works closely with volunteers. Lily loves to socialise and therefore enjoys the company of others.

Meet the team in Fiji

Reshika Kumar

Office Assistant

Reshika joined Projects Abroad in August 2016. She was born and raised in Nadi. She has a background in business management studies and is currently studying a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources Management & Industrial Relations and Business Management. She loves to socialise and enjoys listening to music in her spare time.

Meet the team in Fiji

Makereta Ligaiviu

Administrative Assistant

Makereta joined Projects Abroad in February 2013. She has a background in office administration and human resource management. She was born and raised in Suva, Fiji and loves meeting new people and learning about new cultures and lifestyles. Makereta enjoys gardening and baking and has to two daughters whom she loves very much.

Meet the team in Fiji

Kristian Miles

Volunteer Staff

Kristian is originally from Wales and is a passionate conservationist. He has a Master's degree in Environmental Biology and Bachelor's degree in Marine Biology. Whilst working on a marine conservation project in Cambodia for seven months, he became a divemaster. Following that he moved to Fiji to manage a marine conservation project for two years, in the process taking time out to become a dive instructor. Kristian joined Projects Abroad in March 2015 and enjoys every aspect of his work on the Shark Conservation project.

Meet the team in Fiji

Klara Munnik

Accommodation Supervisor

Klara is originally from South Africa. She has always loved the ocean and marine life, but it was in a small South African town called Gansbaai that she first discovered her love for sharks. Discovering this passion led her to become a scuba diving instructor. She was motivated to get up close with sharks and teach people how to passively interact with marine life. She joined the Projects Abroad team after realising that she wanted to make a difference by changing people’s perceptions of sharks. She’s eager to share her knowledge on the importance of sharks and raise awareness of how to conserve them.

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